


Pain Perdu

by LuckyNumber78



Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Bad Cooking, Comfort/Angst, Cooking, Cute, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hugs, Implied Childhood Emotional Abuse, Kendo, No Incest, No Sex, No Smut, Roommates, Samurai, implied panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 21:55:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10671540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyNumber78/pseuds/LuckyNumber78
Summary: Lauren has a crush on Mia. Post-show. Fluff with some character angst.





	Pain Perdu

Lauren Shiba mopped a bit of the sweat away from her brow with her sleeve. Though the world was safe and evil safely sealed away, still she practiced her kendo every day, not satisfied with her own skills and abilities. Something told her should would never be satisfied. Never good enough. She took a steadying breath and shook the thought away.

 

She jogged the four flights of stairs to the apartment she shared with her friend, Mia. Lauren unlocked the door and pushed it open with one hand, her other hand keeping her bokken balanced on her back.

 

Lauren entered the small apartment and was hit with the scent of baking bread.

 

It was intoxicating to the onetime red ranger, but she laid her practice sword reverently on the table designated for it.

 

“There’s an elevator, you know,” Mia chided from the kitchen.

  
She must have been breathing harder than she’d realized.

 

Lauren shook her head. She kicked off her shoes in the closest the two samurai could get to a genkan in a standard, two-bedroom Panorama City apartment.

 

She took the four halting steps (she’d counted) into the small kitchen area, and she stood stiffly in the open archway, watching Mia cook.

 

Even this sight, simple and innocent as it was, filled Lauren with a burning longing, surprising her with its intensity. Lauren looked at the pale beige linoleum. The food smelled so good. Mia was so pretty. Lauren had to go somewhere… else.

 

“I’m going to get cleaned up.” Lauren stated the words so simply and without inflection, that Mia could not believe that was the end of the sentence.

 

Lauren didn’t exactly, either. Standing there for a moment, her eyes still fixed on her bare toes, which were rooted to the floor, Lauren was unaware of her fists balling and her eyes watering.

 

“Uh-huh,” Mia said, prompting.

 

Lauren looked back up. She looked around the room blearily, doing everything she could to keep her eyes off her comrade in arms.

 

“Um,” she began, wiping her eyes, “how was class today?”

 

“It was great!” Mia enthused, “We learned how to make pain perdu.”

 

“What’s pain perdu?” Lauren asked, shaking her head.

 

Mia turned around and smiled.

 

“It’s French toast. But-” and here she donned (badly) the French accent of her instructor, “never let me hear that regrettable misnomer again!”

 

Lauren laughed despite herself.

 

“Come on,” Mia beckoned. “Let’s see if it’s ready.”

 

Lauren’s anxiety nearly forgotten, she shuffled over and looked in the pan.

 

It was eggier than she’d expected, and browner, too. But also less burnt. She wasn’t sure if she missed the char off of Mia’s cooking or not. It had been Lauren’s first taste of food made with love. The crisp bitterness might have been part of that, at least nostalgically. This did smell incredibly delicious, however.

 

Mia looked upset. 

 

“Don’t you like French toast?” She grasped Lauren’s hand worriedly.

 

Electric currents raced up Lauren’s arm from the contact, but she just smiled.

 

“Never had it,” she said simply.

 

“You’ve heard of it, though?”

 

“Yes. I think so.”

 

“Unlike grilled cheese.” Mia grinned and released Lauren’s hand.

 

Lauren’s cheeks reddened.

 

Mia chuckled mischievously and served up the French toast, apparently satisfied that it was ready.

 

“Weren’t you going to bathe?” Mia asked, quirking her head at her roommate, a plate in each hand.

 

Lauren shook her head emphatically and offered as kind a smile as she could.

 

“It can wait.”

 

They bellied up to the counter together, both forgoing the high barstools that had been a gift. Those were strictly for Jayden and Mentor Ji to play guitar on, the two times they had come over.

 

Lauren dug a fork into the crispy exterior, amazed how it melted through the interior.

 

Mia giggled at Lauren’s reaction. 

 

Lauren laughed, too. 

 

“It’s amazing,” she gushed, then popped the hot morsel into her mouth.

 

“Ooh,” Lauren moaned.

 

“Good?” Mia asked, watching Lauren and still not having touched her food.

 

“You’re amazing,” she finished her thought and laughed.

 

She didn’t even miss the flavour of fire - her element. This was truly the flavour of heaven.

 

“I’m glad you like it,” Mia chirped happily, digging into her own plate and patting Lauren’s forearm playfully.

 

The former red ranger’s heart felt like bursting, but it didn’t, so she kept eating.

 

When her plate was clean, she dabbed a finger in the egg and cinnamon leavings, then looked askance at Mia to see if she was doing the same.

 

Lauren was astounded to see that Mia wasn’t even halfway through her meal, but was looking over at Lauren with a pleased expression.

“So, not too bad?” The pink ranger cooed.

 

“I always like your cooking.” Lauren grumbled abashedly, wiping the finger she’d intended lick clean on a napkin.

 

Mia shrugged proudly.

 

“But it’s getting even better,” Lauren had to admit.

 

“Thanks, Lauren. That means a lot coming from you. You were the first person to really believe in me.”

 

Lauren’s brow furrowed.

 

“What about Terry?”

 

“My little brother?” Mia shook her head. “He was an unwilling test subject.”

 

Lauren laughed. Hesitantly at first, as though unused to the sound, then heartily, more boisterously than your average pretty young lady. She was happy, and she was enjoying Mia’s company. She wiped a happy tear away.

 

“I love it when you laugh,” Mia said gently, without a hint of canniness or desire -- with the slightest bit of sadness, in fact.

 

Lauren looked away and stood up sharply. She took a step toward the doorway.

 

Mia grabbed her wrist. She backed from the bar slowly.

 

Lauren eyed her exits. Doorway. Bedroom. Bathroom. Pantry. Pantry? Not pantry. Focus. 

“--to say, it’s okay.” Mia was speaking.

 

Lauren was cool under pressure, but her highly-toned battle instincts had kicked in. She had been ready to flee Mia. Mia, the exact object she would have liked to pursue. If things were different.

 

“Lauren, are you listening?” Mia asked. “Are you okay?”

 

“Sorry, I just…” Lauren paused and turned back to Mia. Unable to face her, she focused her attention on the barstool. 

  
“I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. Or any, really.”

 

“I know,” Mia soothed with some concern. “That’s okay, Lauren. Really.”

 

“The thing is, Mia,” Lauren sighed into a catch breath which was almost a sob. “I don’t really want to be your friend.”

 

Mia dropped Lauren’s wrist.

 

“Oh.” The former pink ranger sounded… crushed.

 

That hadn’t been what Lauren had meant. That hadn’t come out right at all.

 

Lauren scanned her mind desperately for some words that would convey her meaning. All she found were kanji, symbols of power that would fail her just as badly as her words, in the end.

 

Mia shifted her weight slightly.

 

“Well, I want to be your… something.” Mia murmured. “I want to be a part of your life.”

 

Lauren looked at the white plastered ceiling, willing the tears away.

“Not in the way I want,” Lauren blurted.

 

Well, it was out there. Sort of. And if Mia needed her to leave, then it would be the noble thing to do.

 

“You don’t know that.” Mia said strongly, taking Lauren’s hands.

 

Lauren was, actually, fairly shocked. She had not anticipated this in any real universe. Mia must have misunderstood. Maybe Mia thought she wanted a retainer again, or- or a cook? Or-

 

“I care about you,” Mia said, almost defensively.

 

“What about-” Lauren stopped one more time, still afraid she had misinterpreted the situation. “What about your dream? Getting married, having a family?”

 

“I still have that dream. But… would you blame me if sometimes you’re in it?”

 

Lauren couldn’t quite take or process that information.

 

She drew Mia into a large bear hug, her arms wrapped around the pink ranger’s slim shoulders.

 

Mia rested her head close to Lauren’s heart, weaving her arms around Lauren’s waist.

 

“Wow,” Mia sighed.

 

“Yeah,” Lauren whimpered, through happy tears.

 

“No, I mean, wow.”

 

“What?” Lauren asked, drawing back slightly to look in Mia’s eyes.

 

“You really need that bath,” Mia laughed.

 

Lauren chortled, burying her face in Mia’s shoulder.

 

Mia drew her closer. Yeah, this was going to work out  _ just  _ fine.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to JAKQ7111 for proofing and help with writer's block!


End file.
